


Broken

by Louissa



Category: DCU, Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Depression, Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Panic Attacks, Runaway, Violence, Will add more as time goes on - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-07-01 06:02:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15768072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Louissa/pseuds/Louissa
Summary: Tim hadn’t had the greatest week, during a check in at the cave he and Damian fought. He’d had enough, Tim couldn’t take it anymore, so he ran away. Now it’s up to Jason and Dick to bring their babybird back.





	1. Enough is Enough

Tim’s week hadn’t gone to plan, at this point he was sure that nothing else could go wrong. There were too many cases that Bruce had asked him to finish, that on top of the odd patrolling hours left him with nearly no time to sleep. Lately Gotham had been buzzing with crime, something about the weather being perfect to mug people. It had been at least forty-two hours since he’d stopped to take a breath let alone close his eyes, when he finally caught a break he was closer to the manor than any of his safe houses. He just wanted to crash for a few hours, maybe eat one or two of Alfred’s after patrol sandwiches. 

Time seemed to slow as he pulled into the cave, his mind was cloudy a sign that he desperately need sleep. Maybe that nap would turn into actual sleep, the more that he thought about it the more he wanted to sleep. Looking at the time he realised it was only 3am, Bruce and Damian would probably still be out on patrol. He smiled to himself glad he’d be able to sneak up into his room without dealing with the brat. 

He was wrong to assume that they would still be out, Damian was sitting on the desk of the batcomputer chatting with Bruce as he typed away at the computer. Tim’s lips curled into a frown as he ducked his head looking away from the two, it felt like a lifetime ago that Tim had served by Bruce’s side, going over cases until Alfred sent him to bed. Now he was just nothing.

The vigilante was pulled from his thoughts hearing Damian’s classic sneer, it seemed that just Tim’s presence bothered the boy. Whenever he happened to make an appearance at the manor Damian was the first to complain, Bruce wondered why he didn’t come around often. Since the mantle of Robin had been taken from him Tim didn’t feel the need to show up to the manor anyway, he was always going to be the unwanted son no matter what he did. 

“Do you want something, Drake? Are you going to just stand there all night or actually do something for once?”

He didn’t need this, he needed sleep, food and maybe a bath to help him relax. Tim could feel his heart beating a little faster, he curled his fist discretely trying to hide his growing temper. He didn’t need this, not while he was sleep deprived and stressed out beyond relief. 

“I just need somewhere to crash for a little, this is my home too you know.” 

“tt, why don’t you just go back to one of your safe houses Drake? No one wants you here.” 

For a moment his eyes flickered over to Bruce half expecting him to say something, as usual there was nothing and Tim was left to defend himself as always. There was nothing new about that, Bruce only took notice of what was going on if it was Tim talking like that. It was like he had selective hearing or something. Deciding that enough was enough Tim shook his head and turned away from the newest boy wonder, his plan was to go to his room and sleep. 

“Drake, stop playing pretend. You don’t belong in the manor, you’re not robin anymore. You’ll never be anything more than a replacement, pretend all you want but you won’t ever have the natural talent. Just go home already.” 

It was as if something inside of Tim had snapped, all of the stress and pain from the last forty-two hours had finally caught up to him and bubbled over. When Bruce only grunted at Damian’s words he lashed out, he could tell that Damian wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction from him either. 

“Damian, I go out there every single night just like you do. When I get home I solve the cases that Bruce can’t, then I go to Wayne Enterprises and go to meetings all day. Meanwhile you get to come back to the manor, you get to sleep, you get to eat, you get everything served to you on a silver fucking spoon. I work just as hard as the rest of this family does, so cut me a fucking break!”

Tim’s cheeks were slightly red and tears threatened to fall, it was all too much. He’d been trying to prove himself for so long now, trying to fight for his place in a family that didn’t want him. Bruce had turned around at Tim’s outburst his face as emotionless as ever, Damian’s eyes were wide in shock he really hadn’t seen that coming. Before anyone could cut him off he took a deep breath and continued his ranting. 

“You know what, I’ve had enough of this stupid family.”

His hand rose to his chest, fingers clasped around the ‘R’ medallion on his chest. In one swift movement he’d ripped off the ‘R’ and threw it right into Bruce’s chest. He felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. 

“Tim-” 

Before Bruce could say anything Tim was moving, he turned on his heal and continued his walk up into the manor. Alfred was at the top of the stairs, he’d heard everything but didn’t speak. 

-

There was nothing but silence when Tim finally made it to his room, his throat constricted as the tears finally started to fall. Locking the door Tim straightened up a little, he wiped away the tears and drew a shaky breath. 

By morning Timothy Drake would be gone.


	2. Where's Tim?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's so short! It's kinda a filler chapter before all the angsty stuff happens. Stay tuned for more!

-The next morning-

Jason was sitting by the window of an old coffee shop he and Tim would frequent at, his eyes were glued to the book while his free hand was curled around the warm coffee mug bringing the hot beverage to his lips. He had been waiting for Tim for an hour now, it wasn’t often that Tim was late for morning coffee. The kid loved the stuff. Twice a week Tim and Jason would meet at the local coffee shop to talk, most times they spoke about things outside of their nightlife. It was nice to see Tim not working for once, after all he did overwork himself. 

He could feel his phone vibrating in his pocket, he closed the book with a soft thud and pulled the phone from his jeans. He groaned when he saw Dick’s photo flashing at him from the screen, unlocking his phone he pressed the speaker to his ear. 

“What do you want Dickiebird? It’s my day off.” 

“Hey Littlewing, I was wondering if you’d seen Tim. I called by his place this morning and he wasn’t there.” 

“I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about. Timmers can take care of himself.” 

If Tim wasn’t at his apartment and wasn’t at the coffee shop where was he? There was a long pause between them both, it was as if Dick could sense his growing worry. Sure they hadn’t started off on the right foot but Jason still cared for Tim, they both understood what it was like to be replaced. 

“He said something about crashing at the manor for a few hours when we spoke last, maybe he’s still there.” 

“Yeah.. Hey Dick I’m gonna head over to the manor then, why don’t we meet there? The three of us can go out for lunch or something.” 

“Yeah that’s a good idea, i’ll see you there.” 

It wasn’t a good idea, it was a good idea for both of them to show up at the manor. Jason hung up without saying goodbye pulling a crumpled fifty from his pocket and leaving it on the table. He then moved through the bustling shop and out onto the street.

-  
-Dick’s POV-

Dick pulled into the manor, parking next to Jason’s red bike. It didn’t surprise him that Jason got their first, he did enjoy breaking the law. Sighing he jumped out of the car and ran up the steps to the manor, pushing the grand door open he listened out for Alfred or Bruce. There was nothing but silence. 

Dread pulled in his stomach as he took the stairs two at a time making his way to Tim’s old room, they all were welcome to stay at the manor for as long as they liked but sometimes staying in apartments were better. He could hear distant yelling which only made him worry more, turning the corner he saw Jason and Bruce mid fight. 

“What do you mean you couldn’t stop him!? He’s your fucking adopted son, you act like he doesn’t exist half the time. How could you let the demon say something that horrible and not go and check on him?” 

“Jason you don’t understand it all happened so quickly-” 

“What happened so quickly? Where’s Tim?” 

Dick’s voice cut through the arguing, he could see Jason practically shaking with anger. Moving closer he put his hand on Jason’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him, Bruce was watching them both as Jason finally settled enough. 

“Last night there was an argument between him and Damian, he ran away.” 

Dick’s heart sank, his hand slipped off of Jason’s shoulder and he brushed past them both and into Tim’s now empty room. All that was left were photos on the bed, he recognised these. Tim showed him photos he took before he became Robin, Dick knew about the late night escapades of 7 year old Tim Drake. 

“Tim..” 

Before he knew it a white hot tear rolled down his cheek, he tensed as he felt Jason’s presence behind him. 

“What are we going to do, Jason? I don’t know where to even begin, he’s always been so good at hiding.” 

“We’re going to find him, he only took $14,000 from his bank account. He won’t survive any longer that a month or two with that much money.” 

“But he could take out more money or something.” 

“Not with us watching his accounts.” 

Jason held up a tablet, there was a picture of Tim in the top corner and all of his activities from the past 24 hours. Dick swore that Jason was a genius sometimes. Seeing Bruce at the door made his blood boil, he knew Bruce wouldn’t even try to find Tim. He was always too busy for that. 

“Then we’ll find ourselves a babybird.”


	3. Renovations and Crash Shopping Carts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the wait, I made the chapter longer just to make up for it! I wanted to give you guys an idea of what Tim got up to before it gets all angsty, he was even happy for a little while. Anyways leave a comment and tell me what you think!

Three weeks, it had been three weeks since Tim had disappeared into the night without sparing a thought for the others who might of cared. At first he thought that he had rushed the decision to leave, perhaps he had overreacted due to his physical and mental state. Part of Tim wanted to go back to the manor, to run into Dick’s arms for one more of his octopus hugs or to sit with Alfred eating cookies while drinking coffee. There was no turning back now. Tim had given up his position as Red Robin and his position in the Wayne family, Bruce would probably just adopt another Black haired and Blue eyed boy anyway. He was good at that.

Tim had managed to put a fair distance between himself and Gotham City, he was sure that by now there was someone else to take over his patrols. He was always easy to replace, Dick made sure of that after Bruce had ‘died’ and Bruce didn’t seem to want him back as Robin either. Jason was right calling him a replacement, Damian was right when he said no one wanted him around.

Upon entering the somewhat new apartment Tim had passed out the minute his face hit the pillow, even if the place was a little worn down it was still nice. He had slept for a whole 36 hours, there were no more cases for him to solve, no more patrols, no more trainings to attend. For once in his life he had time to sleep, he had all of the time in the world to laze around and do nothing.

Now Tim laid sprawled on top of the covers of a large double bed staring at the ceiling of his worn down apartment, he remembered buying the place a few years back in case something like this happened. Dick would’ve laughed at him for being so paranoid, he would’ve told Tim that he was being stupid and wouldn’t need the place. Dick would’ve been wrong.

He’d slept too much, his body felt slow and his eyes ached as the early morning sun shone through the open curtains. Curling further under the covers Tim debated what he would do for the day, he’d gotten a job at a 24 hour coffee place and his shift didn’t start until 10. The hours were kind of crappy but Tim was sure that he could manage, it wasn’t like he was used to pulling all nighters constantly. It was tempting to go back to sleep until his shift started but Tim knew that he needed to go shopping otherwise he’d starve, he was smart enough to know that he couldn’t just survive on coffee alone.

Tim stumbled into the shower, the hot water was welcomed as a sweet escape from the chilly morning air. He was sure that he could get used to this, just living his life like a normal human and pretend that he was never a vigilante in the first place. He turned off the water and reached out for a towel wrapping it around his waist, he took another and draped it over his hair in a lazy attempt to dry it. The mornings were silent, he could get used to this.

He stood in the kitchen dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a random band shirt he’d pulled from his closet, the towel from before still covering his now damp hair as he sipped on his first coffee for the day. For once Tim felt as if he didn’t need to drink 4 or 5 coffees just to wake up, he felt content knowing there wasn’t a lot to do. Looking around the apartment he took note of the things that needed fixing, the ceiling fan needed a new light, the roof and walls needed a touch of paint maybe he’d paint the walls a different colours. Tim wrote down all of the things that he would need and smiled softly to himself, today was going to be a good day.

-

The next few days went by in a blur. Each day he would work from 10pm until 4am, Tim was actually enjoying himself at the coffee shop. Most nights it was quiet, his main customers were college students and people who started work at the crack of dawn, the work itself was easy too and no one really bothered him. But what Tim was proudest of was the renovation of his apartment, the once white walls were now a royal blue, he’d gotten rid of the ceiling fan and added a new light fixture. After adding a few more brighter lights, an air conditioner and some more furniture the apartment was looking more like home.

It was better than all of his other safe houses, they were plain and only held the bare necessities. Jason always said that his safe houses were boring, they never held anything interesting. There was no TV, no books, nothing that remotely screamed ‘Tim Drake lives here’ or someone lives here for that matter. That’s the way that Tim had liked it. The only thing that Tim bought from his safe houses were the security system, he’d set it up a few days after settling at the new place. If anyone did try to find him he’d be able to run before they even got through the door, there was no way that anyone would find him.

When Tim returned to his apartment it was the early morning, the sun had yet to rise leaving his new home covered in a blanket of darkness. Sometimes it made Tim uneasy, returning to a dark apartment. Most nights during patrol he would leave a light on, that way no one could sneak up on him after he had returned. Now that he had run away he didn’t need to do that, he could relax knowing that he would come home and no one wants to kill him. As he stripped out of his uniform Tim face planted on the bed and closed his eyes drifting into an easy sleep.

-

Tim was on top of Wayne Tower, he stood next to Bruce looking over the Gotham. They had just completed a case, most nights they would just go home but Bruce wanted to show Tim something. They stood side by side, a soft breeze tousled Tim’s hair not that he seemed to mind. For once the weather in Gotham was nice, they could even see the stars.

“Robin.”

Bruce’s voice was gruff, emotionless, something that Tim had grown used to over the few years of training he’d had. Something was different, his voice sounded more sollom than usual. Had he done something wrong again? Tim was trying to hard to prove himself to Bruce, he wanted to be the Robin both Batman and Gotham needed.

“Yes, Batma-”

There was a screaming pain, it was almost blinding and it hurt everywhere. Tim looked down trying to identify the source of his pain, it was a batarang sticking out of his chest. He wobbled slightly as he looked back up to Bruce, he could feel the tears already streaming down his cheeks as he saw his mentor walking away from him.

“You were nothing but a replacement, no one wanted you not even your parents and I don’t want you either. You’re weak, you’re untrained, you’ve got less talent than a rock. You’re a disappointment.”

His vision blurred as he dropped to his knees, Bruce didn’t turn back as he collapsed face pressing into the gravel of the roof they’d once been standing on.

“I-”

-

Tim shot out of the bed, his shirt clung to his chest and he could feel the tears steadily streaming down his cheeks. It was just a dream and yet it all felt so real, it took a few minutes for him to calm back down. He looked to the clock and saw that it was only 7am, there was no way that he would get back to sleep, not after that nightmare.

Forcing himself out of the bed Tim had a cold shower to wake himself up, it wasn’t long before he was in the kitchen downing a coffee. With coffee in hand he moved over to the window, frowning he took in the foul weather. The grey skies loomed over him like some sort of bad omen, maybe he should just stay in tonight and not go to work. He couldn’t do that even if he wanted to.

Pulling himself away from the window Tim moved to the fridge in search for something to eat, he groaned remembering that he’d taken the leftover pizza to work with him the night before. There was nothing else to eat except an expired egg and lettuce sandwich, there was no way Tim would eat that. Sighing he closed the fridge and pulled on the hoodie he’d left on the couch, while kicking on his shoes Tim grabbed the keys to his apartment and phone before heading down to the store. Maybe he’d actually cook for once.

-

Tim finally arrived at the store, it was still early meaning the place was practically empty still only the occasional worker rushing in to buy lunch or something. He took his time wandering through the seemingly endless hallways, as he pushed the trolley he took no notice of his surroundings. He was simply focused on adding the needed items to his cart and moving on, before he could stop himself his trolley collided with another. His eyes shot up and were met by a pair of blue eyes.. there was a hint green in them too it didn’t take him long to realise just who he’d crashed into.

“Tim.. Tim we’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

Tim took a few steps back, his heart was pounding in his chest as he gripped onto the cart a little tighter. Without warning he ran forward ramming the cart into Jason’s, his actions caught Jason off guard and he fell with a loud crash. So much for being discrete. In the commotion Dick had appeared by Jason’s side, Tim could feel the colour draining from his face as his eyes met with Dicks. Before Dick could even speak Tim picked up a pineapple can from the shelf and hurled it at his older brothers face, the can made its mark and Tim didn’t think twice before running again.

He cursed himself for being so foolish as he bolted out of the store and into the busy city streets, by the time Dick and Jason had regain their composure Tim was long gone.


	4. In Which Tim Adopts a dog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a short chapter! A few things have changed like the relationship, at the moment I only plan on writing this as a Jaytim fic. However, in the future I may write a sub series which includes a Dicktimjay relationship.

“What the hell was that Jason? Tim we’ve been looking for you everywhere? Why didn’t you just stop him before he could throw the damn pineapple can at my face?”   
  
Jason couldn’t help but laugh at Dick’s slightly bruised face, the can had come into contact with his cheek only just missing his nose. He was sure that Dick had broken his nose multiple times anyway, there was nothing he was really worried about. Sighing he handed his brother the makeshift ice pack and went back to searching the security cameras for their missing brother.  
  
“What else was I meant to say? If I made a grab for him he would’ve caused more of a scene, Dick we’ll find him again he can’t of gotten that far.”   
  
He heard Dick huff and go back to watching the TV, it was just another one of those stupid rom coms but if it shut Dick up he was happy. The motel they were staying in was crappy, what was meant to be an overnight stay would now most likely turn into a semi permanent stake out. He’d tracked Tim as far as the street corner before he disappeared into the crowds.   
  
“We’re going to find him Dick, I promise you that.” 

-

Tim’s POV  
  
Things had just started to get better again, Tim had managed to get his life back together again and now he didn’t think he’d ever have the chance of a normal life. Now that he knew that Jason and Dick had been searching from him he knew he couldn’t stay here any longer, it wasn’t fair. After encountering his brothers Tim decided to not return to his apartment, the longer it took for him to return the longer he could stay in this town before packing up and leaving. 

“Why should I have to leave town? I was just trying to live a normal life!”    
  
Frustrated Tim kicked a pile of trash, he’d been using the back alleys to avoid the security cameras. In more ways than one this town was just like Gotham, it was just less dangerous and there were no vigilantes running around the place. It seemed somewhat peaceful.    
  
The screech of tires pulled Tim out of his thoughts, his heart skipped a beat as he ducked behind a dumpster. Surely Dick and Jason couldn’t of found him that easily, not in broad daylight. It wasn’t a risk that Tim was willing to take, in an alleyway the two of them could easily take him down.   
  
From his hiding place Tim watched as a sleek black car pulled up and stopped right by the entrance of the alley, there was indistinct yelling that came from the car before the door flew open and he could finally make sense of what the two men were arguing about.    
  
“Don’t tell me you’ve grown an attachment to the mutt, the boss wants her dead. She ain’t pretty enough like her siblings.”    
  
Dog traders, Tim had busted a few of those rings back in Gotham. They took pedigree dogs and bred them until they died of exhaustion or starvation, if the puppies had a single imperfection they’d kill them. He knew this trade all too well, it was horrible and one of the only ways that he and Damian could work together. Most of them hated animal cruelty, Damian was the biggest animal advocate in the family. That’s how he got Alfred and Titus.    
  
His attention was drawn when he caught the glint of a gun being pulled out from the pocket of the man who had done most of the yelling, chewing on his lip Tim weighed up his options. He didn’t have any weapons on him, the guy had a gun and looked to be the trigger happy type.    
  
“Can’t we just leave it on the street or something? I can’t just kill a puppy, it ain’t done nothing wrong.”    
  
Tim could see the puppy now, a maltese with a mix of poodle or something. She was being held to the man's chest shaking like a leaf, from what Tim could already tell she was in poor health. He had to act fast or that puppy would die, Tim wouldn’t let that happen. Taking a deep breath Tim stepped out of his hiding place, both of his hands were held upwards in surrender hoping that he wouldn’t get shot.    
  
“Please don’t kill the dog- I’ll take her off of your hands no questions asked.”    
  
The gun was pointed in his direction as the two men finally noticed his presence, acting scared he held his hands up a little higher and readied himself to dodge a bullet if he had to.    
  
“Well look like it’s your lucky day coward, give the kid the dog and we’ll get out of here.”    
  
Tim felt relief wash over him as he took a step forward and took the puppy out of the man’s arms, without a word the two men rushed out of the alley and back into their car. Hopefully he’d never see them again.    



	5. Traitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No… 
> 
> No this couldn’t be happening.. 
> 
> Why couldn’t they just leave him alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that it's taken so long to complete this! I've had really bad writers block.

Chapter 5    
  
Tim had a lonely childhood, his parents were normally absent and when they were home he rarely did see them. They travelled a lot and didn’t have time for their child, even though they had their differences Tim still did love them. There’s a stage that almost every kid goes through when they want a pet, normally it’s a cat or a dog, some people get birds and fish but a pet is a pet nonetheless. Even at 6 Tim knew that it would be pointless asking his parents for a dog, he’d always loved animals but dogs were his favourite. He knew that the answer would be no when he asked, his parents didn’t have the time for him so how would they find the time for an animal? He gave up on that dream a long time ago.    
  
There was a time when he was living with Bruce that he’d asked for an animal, the flat answer had been ‘no’ Bruce didn’t think that it would be appropriate for him to have a pet. Especially with their line of work. Now Tim sat on the couch of his apartment an unnamed puppy curled up on his lap, this never would’ve happened if he was still living at or around the manor. On the other hand if it was Damian, Bruce would’ve said yes straight away. It wasn’t fair.    
  
On his way home he stopped into a small corner shop and picked up some dog food as well as various other things. With his brothers in town it might just be easier to order things online, there was no way in hell he was leaving now. Not with a puppy that needed him.    
  
“What should I name you hmm?”    
  
Not paying attention to him she continued to gnaw on his hand, chuckling softly he pulled his hand back and ran his fingers through her Almond coloured curls. His eyes slipped shut and he relaxed for just a moment, his lips curled upwards slightly as he decided on her name.    
  
“I’m going to call you Almond, to match your fur. Do you like the sound of that?”    
  
The puppy’s head had turned to him as if it was a sign, he would never truly know if she liked the name or not but it was decided. It was time for him and Almond to start their journey together.    
  
\-    
  
Dick’s P.O.V.    
  
“Grayson can’t you just come home? Drake is being a brat, you’re needed here more than he and Todd is.”    
  
Rolling his eyes Dick ran a hand through his hair and pinched the bridge of his nose, Damian didn’t get it, even after a month since Tim had run away he didn’t understand. Bruce had barely said a word after Tim stormed out of the manor, he’d just been brooding like he usually did and never told Damian to watch his tongue like he should’ve.    
  
“Damian, I’m not coming home until I find Tim and make sure that he’s okay. He’s been through enough and what you said took things too far.”    
  
There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment, Dick groaned and stood up pacing back and forth the tiny motel room. Jason was out patrolling seeing if he could find any clues as to where Tim was hiding.    
  
“Fine, I’ll see you when you return home.”    
  
The call ended with Damian’s annoyed sighing and Dick threw his phone onto the bed, if it wasn’t for Jason being out he would’ve suited up and joined him on the search for his baby brother. However if he left now and ruined whatever great plan Jason had for luring Tim out of hiding he’d never hear the end of it.    
  
Throwing himself onto the bed Dick picked up his phone, unlocking it he pulled up Tim’s contact. His finger hovered over the call button for a moment, thinking about Tim hulled up alone in an apartment after what had happened made his heart ache. He wanted to be a better big brother and comfort Tim, even if he didn’t want it.    
  
“I’m so sorry Tim, for never being there.”    
  
“Hey don’t be so down on yourself, we’re going to fix this.”    
  
Jason’s voice threw him out of his thoughts, sitting up Dick stared at Jason watching him as the helmet unlatched and was thrown onto the table.    
  
“How can you be so sure? We don’t even know where he is..”    
  
“Are you doubting my detective skills Bigbird? I found where Tim’s hiding.”    
  
Dick felt his heart leap in his chest as he stood and ran over to his younger brother and pulled him into one of his usual bone crushing hugs.    
  
-   
  
Three days later Tim sat in his apartment, Almond was laying on the floor a plastic cone around her neck. They weren’t on talking terms apparently.    
  
“Come on Almond.. I’m sorry, please forgive me.”    
  
Whining the ex-robin slipped down to the floor coming up behind the puppy and rubbing just under the collar, he’d decided to get her de-sexed after doing some research into where she had come from. He was right to assume that it was illegal puppy breeding, to stop her from being subjected to something like that he thought it would be best for her.    
  
“Almondddddd.”    
  
Finally the puppy stood up and turned sniffing his nose and licking it, his laughter filled the empty apartment as he grabbed one of her toys and threw it around. A month ago Tim would’ve noticed the pair of eyes on him, it was funny what a month of sleeping and living like a normal human could do to your senses.    
  
He didn’t hear the window slide open either, but Almond did. There was a series of loud barking as the puppy ran down the hall and into his bedroom, it was followed by a yell of surprise and the sound of a glass shattering.    
  
“Almond? Almond!”    
  
Without even thinking he sprinted down the hall and into his room, for a moment he thought he’d ran into the wall but walls weren’t soft and they sure as hell didn’t smell like gunpowder.   
  
_ No…  _ _   
_ _   
_ _ No this couldn’t be happening..  _ _   
_ _   
_ __ Why couldn’t they just leave him alone.    
  
Stepping backwards Tim’s eyes trailed upwards as he looked into Jason’s teal blue eyes, once upon a time he would’ve loved to get lost in those orbs. His mouth hung open as his gaze wandered and landed on Dick, in his eldest brothers arms was Almond who was happily wagging her tail. Traitor.   
  
“We’ve been looking for you babybird.” 


	6. Replacement

**One hour earlier**  
Jason’s POV

It had taken quite a bit of convincing on Jason’s behalf to get Dick to agree to the plan, he knew that Tim wouldn’t be staying in town for much longer so they needed to get the jump on him before he tried to run away again. There was no way in hell he’d let Tim slip through his fingers again, they’d only just started to get along better. Tim got him, he understood that the pit drove him to do all of those horrible things, unlike the rest of the family Tim was never the type to judge.  
  
“The only way we’re really going to get through to Tim is if we force him to sit the fuck down and listen, Dickward, otherwise he’s just going to keep running from us.”   
  
“Yeah but we’ll frighten him off Jay, what if he gets hurt running from us?”   
  
“Then we take him back to a safe house and heal him up, simple as that.”   
  
“What if he doesn’t want to come home.. What if- what if it’s too late and we’ve already gone too far.”   
  
Jason’s expression softened as his hand rested on his older brothers shoulder, there was a moment of silence before he pulled Dick into him for a hug. He knew that this was one of the only ways he could ground him again, Dick had blamed himself for Tim’s sudden departure.   
  
“It’s gonna be okay, I’m going to get him back if it’s the last thing I do Dick.” 

-  
  
**Now**    
Tim’s POV  
  
Tim heart felt like was about to leap out of his chest, he drew shaky breath as his arm pulled back and he punched Jason Todd square in the jaw. The moment his fist connected with flesh he regretted it, he just wanted to be happy. Why couldn’t he just be happy.   
  
“Put her down.”   
  
He didn’t recognise his own voice as he glared up at his eldest brother who still held Almond, Dick’s jaw hung open while Jason attempted to regain his composer.   
  
“I said put her down!”   
  
His hands clenched into fists as he shoved his way past Jason and (as gently as he could while angry) took Almond from Dick’s arms, there was no way that he was taking her from him too. The puppy attempted to lick his cheek but wasn’t able to due to the cone around her neck still, he scratched the back of her neck as reassuringly as he could while his two brothers circled him.   
  
“Tim-”   
  
“Get out of my apartment.”   
  
Dick was approaching him, his hand reaching out only for Tim to slap it away. Why couldn’t they just leave him alone? He was happy now, leaving a life where he didn’t need to worry about what case he hadn’t written or then next stakeout he was needed for. Tim didn’t have to worry about a damn thing.   
  
“Babybird, please we just want to talk. No one’s going to force you to do anything you don’t want to.”   
  
He was thrown by the kindness in Jason’s voice, there were times when he’d listened to Jason speak to kids on the street. Jason was never rough with them, but this was different. Tim felt his bottom lip quiver as he backed out of the room and finally let the wriggling puppy go, without another word he walked out to the living room with Jason and Dick following silently behind him.   
  
-   
  
The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, Tim was sat on the armchair on the opposite side of the room with Almond on his lap. He’d taken the cone off while she napped, his eyes never met theirs as he waited for one of them to speak.   
  
“We came to take you back Tim, you’re a part of the team.”   
  
_Only when you need tech or information._  
  
“I miss having you around Tim.”   
  
_You’re lying._  
  
“I’m sorry that I was never there for you.”   
  
He could hear the strain in Dick’s voice, Tim could tell that he was being sincere but at the time he didn’t want to hear it. He just wanted to be alone, just like he was back in Gotham.   
  
“Why can’t you just leave me alone? Go back to Gotham, you’ll realise that I’m not needed. I can just be replaced.”   
  
“Tim don’t say that-”   
  
“It’s true isn’t it?! Bruce never wanted me around, you didn’t think that I’d make it as Robin! As soon as you had the chance you replaced me with Damian, you ripped Robin away from me. I worked so hard to prove myself to a family that doesn’t even want me around, so just forget about me.”   
  
All Dick could do was stare, Jason had gone so silent Tim almost forgot that his other brother was there. He stood holding Almond to his chest as he looked towards Jason and opened his mouth to speak.   
  
“You’re right, Jason, I’m nothing but a replacement.”   
  
Tim’s voice broke, he could feel the tears starting to stream down his face before he could even think to control them. His breathing was uneven as he made an attempt to hide his tears, he would not show weakness, not in front of the two men that he’s respected his entire life.   
  
“Babybird I-”   
  
“I need a moment to myself.”   
  
Tim let Almond down on the floor and walked towards his bedroom, he didn’t bother to look back as he closed his bedroom door. The moment the door was shut Tim tried his best to stop the tears, he was done crying over a family that didn’t want him. 


	7. You're Safe Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry that I’ve been gone for so long now! School just got really busy and then I got hit with the flu but I’m hoping to get a few chapters out during my spring break.

Tim was laying in his bed when the door opened followed by the patter of feet running across his floor, out of pure instinct Tim pulled the sheets over his head and buried his face into the pillow. There was a soft grunt before Almond was on the bed crawling all over him until she settled by his feet, then the bed sagged slightly and a hand was gently carding through his somewhat exposed hair. For a moment he thought it was Dick who’d come in but then the scent of gunpowder and cigarette smoke hit his nose, it was Jason doing his best to comfort him.    
  
“You know, babybird.. I called you a replacement when I was in a bad place, you’re not a replacement. Didn’t mean it like that, I wish I could go back in time and fix it all.”    
  
He didn’t speak as Jason’s hand left his hair and found it’s way to his shoulder, the touch was comforting considering everything it was grounding. Tim took a shaky breath as he poked his head out from under the covers and caught sight of Jason’s soft smile, if he wasn’t lying down it would’ve made his knees weak like it always did.    
  
“I’m sorry for what I said, and for punching you in the face.”    
  
Tim always did have a bad habit of feeling guilty after he did something, he replayed the scene a thousand times in his head and knew that he never should’ve punched Jason. No matter how mad he was at the time.    
  
“Kinda deserved it, babybird, but don’t think about it too much s’okay.”    
  
As he sat up Jason pulled him into a warm embrace, his arms kept him secure and stopped him from wriggling out of the hug. Not that he wanted to. Jason’s fingers were in his hair again while his free hand rubbed tiny circles on his lower back, Tim could get used to this. Suddenly he snapped out of his daze and attempted to push Jason away from him, he didn’t budge.    


“Why are you here?”    
  
“Came to take you home babybird.”   
  
“No why are you in my room?”    
  
“Because you need someone to show you that you’re loved and wanted, you need someone to show that they care for you just as much as you care for them.”    
  
“I’m fine on my own Jay.”    
  
“Are you?”    
  
Tim thought about it for a moment, was he really fine on his own? Was he okay with lying to himself constantly because it made the truth seem easier somehow? Truth was Tim didn’t want to be alone, he wanted someone to be there for him. To hold him just like Jason is holding him right now, he wants to be loved more than anything but no matter what he does those he loves die in the end. He didn’t want anyone else to die.    
  
“Shh babybird don’t cry.”    
  
“N-Not crying.”    
  
“If you say so, Timmy.”    
  
He could feel the white hot tears streaming down his cheeks as he choked on a sob, Jason’s hand moved to the back of his head and gently pulled him into another hug. While Tim cried Jason never once stopped rubbing his back, occasionally he would whisper something to him but Tim could barely hear him over his crying.    
  
“Cry it all out, you’re safe now.”    
  
_ You’re safe now. _ __  
_  
_ __ Safe 

He couldn’t really remember the last time that he felt truly safe but Tim knew that he felt safe in Jason’s arms right at that moment, for the first time in months he felt safe. Soon his crying died down and Jason had laid down next to him making sure that Tim was still close to him while a hand idly carded through his hair.    
  
“Dick’s going home in the morning.”    
  
“Oh..”    
  
“Gotham needs him right now, Arkham had a break out and B needs the extra hand.”    
  
“What about you? Gotham needs you too.”    
  


There was a pause as Tim pulled back just enough to see Jason’s brilliant turquoise eyes staring back at him, they were filled with warmth and something else but Tim couldn’t exactly tell.    
  
“You need me more than she does.”    
  
Tim felt like he could cry again hearing that, Jason wasn’t going to leave him. He was going to stay with him, for some reason that made Tim feel like everything was going to be okay. The moment was ruined by Almond jumping up from her position at the bottom of the bed and barking at the door before sprinting down the hallway, Dick could be heard yelling from the other room. Tim actually laughed as the barking continued and Jason simply shook his head with a smile.    
  
“A smile looks good on you, babybird, but maybe you should go and help Dick out.”    
  
“Hmm, I guess so.”    
  
Slowly Tim got out of the bed and made his way to the living room, he watched as Almond continued to bark at Dick who was trying to turn on the TV without getting his ankles bitten off.    


\-    
  
In the morning Tim woke to Dick gently shaking his shoulder, it took him a few moments to wake up enough to understand what was going on. Dick was leaving for Gotham to help with a villian problem while Jason stayed here with him, part of him was glad that Dick was leaving but at the same time he didn’t want to see him go.    
  
“I have to go back to Gotham now, please take care of Jason. Take care of each other.”    
  
“Okay, stay safe.”    
  
Tim stood up and brushed past Dick making his way to the kitchen, he knew that now he was awake he wouldn’t be able to sleep again so making coffee made more sense to him than just sitting in his room talking to Dick. He still didn’t want to talk to Dick, he’d gone so long with nothing but silence between the two he wasn’t exactly willing to let him back in again just so he could get hurt.    
  
“Tim I’m- just come home when you’re ready okay?”    
  
“Okay..”    
  
The two brothers looked at each other for a moment before Dick turned and jumped out of the window and into the early morning light, it was 4am. He was lucky that he didn’t have to work the night shift that night.    



	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is so short and I am so sorry for that, it’s the end of my senior year and I want to focus on the assignments that I have yet to finish before I continue to write this series. Hopefully after my exam in November I’ll be able to post a few more chapters!

Tim came home from the coffee shop just after 5am, working the night shift was a distraction. He knew that he had more than enough money to support him without a job, but he needed something to stop him from thinking even if it was just for a few hours a night. Maybe it wasn’t too different to working in Gotham, he tried not to dwell on it too much.   
  
Sighing he remembered that he was not alone, Jason was sleeping in the spare room with Almond most likely tucked into his side. Tim wouldn’t admit it but he didn’t mind coming home to someone, there’s something about returning to an empty house that gave him the creeps sometimes. Slowly he dragged himself into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of apple juice, Tim had been trying to avoid drinking coffee in the apartment considering his new job.   
  
Once he’d finished his drink Tim trudged past the spare room where Jason slept and into his own flopping onto the bed without bothering to change, like this he was able to let sleep take him.   
  
-   
  
When he woke Tim could smell something sweet wafting into his room, the small ball of warmth pressed into his cheek indicated that at some stage Almond had come in to cuddle. Stretching Tim rubbed behind the puppies ears and watched as she jumped off of the bed and down the hall, slowly he followed behind her and yawned before crawling onto the couch.   
  
“Morning, babybird. Sleep well?”   
  
“Like a baby, how did you sleep?”   
  
“Better than I have in days, Almond kept me warm all night.”   
  
Tim smiled sleepily and lifted his head to look at Jason, he stood in the kitchen wearing a plain white apron sipping on what he assumed to be a cup of tea. God Jason was perfect, he wouldn’t mind coming home to that- wait what was he thinking. Shaking his head Tim groaned and buried his face into his elbow.   
  
“I made cookies, Alfred’s recipe. Though it might cheer you up a little.”   
  
“Cookies? For breakfast? Alfred would have a heart attack if he found out.”   
  
“Good thing he’s not here.”   
  
Their laughter filled the small apartment and Tim eventually made his way from the couch to the kitchen, he hoisted himself onto one of the bar stools and watched as Jason slid a cup of coffee towards him.   
  
“Oh I’m trying to cut down on coffee, but thanks Jay.”   
  
“Who are you and what have you done with Timothy Drake?”   
  
Jason looked at him hands on his hips and that signature smirk that made his knees weak every time, without even thinking to hide it Tim felt his cheeks heating up.   
  
“I’ll drink it, one cup won’t help.”   
  
Tim quickly snatched the mug up and bought it to his lips, Jason never ceased to amaze him. He was the only one who knew how Tim liked his coffee, strong with just a hint of sugar.   
  
“Well do you want a cookie or are you cutting down on those too?”   
  
“No way in hell! Give me all of them!”   
  
He liked this, being normal with Jason. All of his problems seemed to disappear, and for once Tim looked forward to the future. 


	9. The food is burning.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim's walk from home doesn't go to plan, it's up to Jason to save him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not too far off of finish my final exams at school, hopefully after that I'll be able to post a few more chapters!

He’d taken the back streets home after work, most nights Jason would pick him up but tonight Tim decided that he needed a few moments to clear his mind after a long shift. Turning the corner Tim heard a muffled scream followed by a gun shot, he stood their frozen as he witnessed a group of men clad in black standing over a dead body. 

Tim was young the first time he saw a dead body, as much as he wishes that he couldn’t remember that tragic night the image of Dick’s parents never left him. For a while he even had nightmares about their death, Tim had been young when it happened but he was well aware of what death was. He never forgot a single death, even as Robin, Tim could never forget a single face. 

He stood frozen in spot, Tim took in a trembling breath as his hands started to shake. There was a moment of hesitation before Tim took a step back, he knew that without a weapon he couldn’t take on four thugs twice his size. Taking another step back Tim collided with a chest, an arm wrapped around his neck and held him in place. 

“The boss said no witnesses boys, we’re going to have to kill this one too.” 

The four men approached him, two welded metal pipes while the others had guns in their hands. The grip around his neck tightened and his body was lifted off of the ground, Tim kicked at the man who held him as his airways were cut off and he struggled to breathe.

When the first pipe made contact with his ribs it knocked any air that was left in his lungs out, he let out a strangled cry before there was another blow to the ribs. Tim’s lungs were screaming for air and dark spots started to form in the corners of his eyes, he lost count of the amounts of hits he took before a gun shot rung through the alleyway. 

“Shouldn’t you be picking on someone your own size?”

Hood

Tim was dropped to the ground in an instant, he took in large gulps of air and collapsed on the ground as the fight commenced around him. For a moment Tim’s gaze was focused on Jason, he admired the way that his body moved as he dodged the punches thrown at him and each shot met it’s mark. He didn’t dare admit it but Jason Todd was amazing. 

His eyes drooped slightly as he lost focus of his older brother, Tim’s vision started to blur as he ducked his head trying to focus on staying awake. Before he knew it the fight was over and Jason’s arms were slipping under his knees and around his back, each movement made his body feel as if it was on fire. He hadn’t felt this helpless in a long time. 

“Eyes open , babybird.”

The rest was a blur, he tired his hardest to stay awake as Jason carried him back towards the apartment. His eyes slipped shut and he could hear Jason calling out to him, his words were muffled as Tim slipped further into darkness.

-

Tim woke to the smell of Jason’s cooking, the scent of bacon and eggs caused his stomach to grumble. He could hear soft music playing in the kitchen and the occasional bark from Almond, if it wasn’t for his splitting headache Tim would’ve been happy with the normality of the situation. Groaning softly Tim sat up attempting to ignore the pain in his ribs as the door swung open and Jason appeared hands on his hips. 

“Timothy Drake, if you get out of that bed I’ll make you stay in it for the next week.” 

“Alfred’s corrupted you.” 

There was a moment of silence before Tim cracked a smile and Jason did too, Jason’s arms slipped under his shoulders and very gently pulled him into a sitting position making sure that the pillows were in the right place. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Sore.” 

“Want some pain killers?” 

Nodding Tim sighed and laid back in the pillows and relaxed as the pain eased, Jason slipped out of the room and came back only a moment later he returned with a glass of water and some pain killers. 

“Think you could stomach something?”

“I smell bacon and eggs Jay, I could stomach all of it.” 

There was a soft chuckle before the bed dipped slightly and Jason was sitting on the edge of the bed, Tim reached out and took Jason’s hand into his and gave him a soft smile. He was more than grateful for Jason saving his life and couldn’t think of the right words to say, there had been plenty of times that Jason and Tim had saved each other but something felt different now.

“Everything okay?” 

“Y-Yeah, I just wanted to thank you for saving me.” 

“I’m just glad that I made it on time.” 

Tim finally let go of Jason’s hand and let it fall back to his side, the two of them sat in a comfortable silence before the smelt of burnt food drifted into the room. 

“Jason I think the foods burning-” 

“Shit shit shit.” 

He watched laughing softly as Jason ran out of the room and into the kitchen, the fire alarm went off and Tim couldn’t help but laugh as he heard Jason’s swearing coming from the kitchen. His heart fluttered slightly and his cheeks burnt slightly, he knew that he’d had feelings for Jason for a while now but in that moment Tim knew. 

He was in love.


	10. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter, I didn’t really know where to go with this and I’ve been trying to write this chapter for a few months now. Thank you to everyone who’s taken the time to read this, it means a lot to me!

-  _one year later_ -

One year, one entire year since Tim had left Gotham mentally and physically exhausted. He looked out the window and noticed how the Gotham skyline had not changed a single bit, but he was sure that the people had. The feeling of a warm hand resting on his knee pulled him out of his daydream, turning his head Tim looked at Jason and smiled nervously. After realising his feelings for Jason he tried to hide them, however he found it a lot harder to do especially after Jason kissed him on the rooftop. They’d been together for a few months now and they both knew that they’d have to return to Gotham, so here they were pulling into the drive way of the manor.

Tim looked up at the manor, his home, a place where he once felt like he belonged but deep down he knew that he didn’t belong there. He wasn’t the blood son, he wasn’t a fantastic gymnast and he sure as hell wasn’t as amazing as the infamous Red Hood. Compared to all of them he was a weak link, a replacement. Taking in a shuddering breath Tim watched Alfred approaching the car, if anything he missed Alfred the most. He’d even been kind enough to send them both care packages consisting of his cooking and other little necessities.

He exited the car and looked up at his ‘home’ panic weld in his chest as Alfred approached him first, backing up slightly Tim bumped into Jason’s chest. A pair of strong arms wrapped around his shoulders and a kiss was pressed to his temple, it was Jason’s way of saying ‘I’m here, I’ve got you.’

“Master Timothy-”

Before Alfred had the chance to continue he stepped out of Jason’s arms and wrapped his own around the butler, all dark thoughts were pushed to the back of his head as the butler squeezed him back just as tightly.

“I’ve missed you, Master Timothy.”

“Me too, Alfie.”

Tim looked over Alfred’s shoulder to see Damian and Bruce standing by the door, he assumed that Dick was working and couldn’t make it. It was probably for the best, he didn’t think he could deal with Dick’s octopus hugs. Pulling away from Alfred he ducked his head and moved back towards Jason, dread filled his chest as Bruce approached them both and even the feeling of Jason’s hand slipping into his couldn’t relax him.

“Tim.”

“Bruce.”

There was a moment of silence between the two of them, in the corner of his eye he could see Damian sneering at him. In a year nothing had changed, except maybe the fact that the demon spawn was taller. He didn’t meet Bruce’s eyes, Tim couldn’t look at his ‘father’ not after everything that had happened, or well everything that didn’t happen.

“Why don’t you come to my office, just you and me?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Yes.”

“Fine.”

Bruce turned around and moved back into the manor, he hesitated and looked back to Jason who nodded and pushed him forward gently. His hand still held on tightly to Jason’s as they stepped through the front doors of the manor, they stopped in the entrance and Tim turned to Jason pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

“You’ll be okay, Babybird, if he says anything to upset you we’ll just go straight back to the safe house. Promise.”

“Thanks, Jay. I don’t think I’ll be too long.”

The two pulled apart and Tim followed Bruce up to his office.

-

He and Bruce had been sitting in a tense silence for the last ten minutes, Tim waited for Bruce to speak but he never said a word. Instead he simply watched as Bruce stared at his desk as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, in the back of Tim’s mind he thought that Bruce was going to take Red Robin away from him. It wouldn’t surprise him if he did.

“You resigned from Wayne Ent.”

“I’m sure you found someone better.”

“I never hired anyone to take your place.”

Tim tilted his head to the side, he assumed that Bruce would’ve just found someone else to take his place or even start grooming Damian to become his successor.

“No one does the job as well as you do, one day I hoped you’d take over the company.”

When he didn’t speak Bruce continued.

“Things are going to change. I’m going to start being a better father. What Damian said to you that night was wrong, and I’m sorry for not defending you.”

“It doesn’t matter now, nothing will change.”

Bruce looked up at him and Tim saw the hurt flash behind his eyes, now that he was closer to Bruce he noticed the bags under his eyes and how much older he looked.

“Please give me a chance Tim, you and Jason can stay in a safe house together. I’ll support you more and Damian will stop harassing you all of the time. Just give me a chance to fix things, I messed up Tim.”

He sat there in shock, Bruce was always the type to be straight to the point he’d never seen him rambling the way he was. Tim had never seen Bruce this stressed, even when the Joker freed most of Arkham’s high security patients.

“Alright.. but give me some space too. I still can’t forgive you for a lot of things.”

“I know, son, but I’m going to be better okay? I swear.”

“Okay Bruce.”

They sat in a more comfortable silence now, Tim relaxed a fraction and ran a hand through his hair as Bruce rummaged through his draw pulling out a photo frame. Suddenly in front of him was a photo of the two of them he remembered taking it too, Bruce had taken him to the science museum and Tim managed to convince him into taking a selfie.

“I didn’t realise you kept this.”

“Yeah, it’s my favourite photo of us. The science expo opened a new exhibit, would you like to go?”

“Are you coming too?”

“If you want me too.”

When Tim stood Bruce did too, he moved around the desk and stood in front of Bruce for a moment before stepping forward and wrapping his arms around him. Bruce’s arms enveloped him in a bear hug, one that only a father could give.

“You can come we can get the model rocket.. and you have to help me build it.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Smiling Tim pulled away and Bruce ruffled his hair, the two of them left Bruce’s office idly chatting. As they approached the living room Bruce wrapped an arm around his shoulder and squeezed.

So maybe people can change.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
